The Centre has formed three grievance appellate committees that will address users’ complaints against social media and other internet-based platforms.
Purpose
They will also be empowered to oversee and revoke content moderation-related decisions taken by these platforms.
The decision to form these committees came from users’ complaints about being deplatformed or being removed from social media sites, without being given the reason.
GAC members
Each of the three grievances appellate committees (GACs) will have a chairperson, two whole-time members from different government entities, and retired senior executives from the industry for a term of three years from the date of assumption of office.
GACs can also seek assistance from people who may have adequate expertise and experience in a subject matter while dealing with users’ appeals.
First panel
The first panel will be chaired by the chief executive officer of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Ashutosh Shukla, and Punjab National Bank’s (PNB) former chief general manager and chief information officer Sunil Soni have been appointed as the whole-time members of the panel.
Second panel
The second panel will be headed by the joint secretary in charge of the Policy and Administration Division in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Indian Navy’s retired Commodore Sunil Kumar Gupta, and Kavindra Sharma, the former vice-president (consulting) of L&T Infotech, have been appointed as the whole-time members of this panel.
Third panel
The third panel will be chaired by Kavita Bhatia, a senior scientist at the Ministry of Electronics and IT.
Former traffic service officer of the Indian Railways Sanjay Goel, and former managing director and chief executive officer of IDBI Intech Krishnagiri Ragothamarao have been appointed whole-time members of the third panel.
Process entirely online
The GACs will adopt an “online dispute resolution mechanism” where the entire appeal process, from its filing to the final decision, will be done online.
Social media companies will have to compile every order passed by the GACs and report them on their respective websites.
How it will work
If the complainant is not satisfied with the decision of the grievance officer of a social media intermediary, they can file an appeal to the GAC within a period of 30 days.
It will then deal with the appeal and resolve it within a month of receipt.
The GACs’ online platform will be operational from March 1, 2023, keeping in view the transition period required for the intermediaries as per their requests and technical requirements.
